Day 4: Mackinac Island

On our last full day of vacation, I took the kids over to Mackinac Island. I had originally wanted to avoid the island that day, as it was the Lilac Festival, and I figured it would be packed. However, as I mentioned in my last day 3 post, we were due for a lot of rain, and wanting to head home.

So, bright and early on Saturday, we woke up, packed up the car, and checked out of the campground. We were able to make it to the ferry docks before 10, and hop on the 10am ferry over to the island. The last time we took a ferry, it took us under the Mackinac Bridge. I thought that was standard, so I sat us up top, where it's MUCH colder and windier.

I also failed to bring anything for the kids to wear to keep warm on the ride over. Of course, going under the bridge is not normal, and is only done for school trips that request it, and then once summer hits, every day on the 10am ferry. We shot straight over to the island instead.

It was a very cold ride, and the younger two wanted to go below, but there's no moving around once the ferry starts, so we weren't able to. Thankfully, it's only a 16 minute jaunt to the island. The kids survived, and I promised them we would ride below on the way back from the island.

Once we got there, we went off in search of the carriage tour stop, and got our tickets validated, and a time attached to them. We had some time to kill, so we used the bathroom, and looked in a shop right there. When it was time to load, we were the first ones on, so we got to pick our seats.

Just after the carriage tour started, I noticed Gilly playing with her rabbits foot. I told her to hook it to her belt loop, or put it in my back pack. She chose to hold onto it. We wandered through downtown, and had various buildings pointed out to us.

Now, when we started, the guy who drove the tour introduced himself and said it was his first week. The guy we had a few years ago was not a newbie, and you can tell the difference. Over time, the drivers start to get the 'speech' down pat, and start adding in their own jokes, or comments, and have the timing down. This guy missed pointing out some things, and was not doing good with his timing. Often, we were driving past something before he started talking about it, so we would miss which building he was talking about.

As we turned away from downtown, we got to see a closeup view of the Grand Hotel. I would love to go onto the grounds someday, but they actually charge people just to come onto the grounds if you are not staying at the hotel. It keeps the tourists out. If you do go on the grounds and pay, they will credit the paid amount towards a meal or a purchase in the gift shop, though.

At this point, we are on a long, tall hill. About halfway up, Gilly freaks out. She had dropped her rabbits foot off the side of the carriage because she was messing around with it. There were many sympathetic passengers, but the guy was new, and wouldn't stop so we could retrieve it.

I got to try and stop her from sobbing hysterically the rest of the ride up to Surrey Hill, which was where we swap out carriages. Thankfully, she calmed down. I promised her we would go ahead and try and find a replacement for the white one she had. Turns out, white ones are very hard to find.

At Surrey Hill, there is a small carriage museum, with antique carriages, and the official funeral carriage, though that was not displayed at the time. I didn't realize before that the funeral carriage is still used for funerals, which is why it wasn't on display that day.

We looked in the gift shops, and I got the kids each an ice cream cone. There's a fudge shop there, and it's 15% cheaper than downtown, but I had zero desire of adding a pound or two of fudge to my back pack so early in the day, so I didn't. At this point, the kids were starting to fight some, and Gilly was crying again. I wound up taking half a xanax- I take these to stop or ward off panic attacks, and was starting to feel one coming on from all the people, the noise, and the kids fighting.

Once we were done, we got in line for the next leg of the carriage tour. The next portion takes you through the state park forest, which has many unique features to it. Hidden in the forest are cemeteries (3),  caves, rock formations, historic sites from battles of the past, and more.

The guy we had for the second leg of the tour was MUCH better at his lines- but he'd been doing it for 3 summers now. You could tell he really enjoys his job, and he was very good at it.

We stopped off at Arch Rock, where I was able to get a few photos, before it was time to load back up on the carriage. The last stop was Fort Mackinac. People can get off, or continue to Surrey Hill. We had passes, so we got off, and went on into the fort.

I enjoy history, but this fort isn't as fun for me as Colonial Fort Michilimackinac. I'm not sure why- it has many of the same features. Maybe it's because there are so many other things to do on the island, that it's distracting.

We watched a few demonstrations, looked through the buildings, then headed to the park at the foot of Fort Mackinac, Marquette Park. This is named for Father Jacques Marquette. There is a replica of a bark Church in the park, and a statue of Father Jacques Marquette. Funny story about the statue. By the time it was commissioned, Jacques Marquette was long since gone. There are no known liknesses of him- no portraits or drawings. When it came time to finish the statue, the artist had no idea what to do about the face- so he used his own.

We ate lunch in the shade. While we were up at the fort, I started feeling a bit sick. After all was said and done, I am attributing it to the heat and the sun in my eyes that day. I am light sensitive, and I forgot my sunglasses in my purse- which was tucked into the trunk of the car. I took some tylenol while we were at the park for a headache that was starting.

So, we sat and ate, and drank, and relaxed for a bit. I was starting to feel shaky, even after eating, and drinking, and resting. We got up and walked around a bit, but it wasn't long before I started feeling horrible. We got to one shop, and I felt so bad, I thought I was going to pass out. I couldn't breath, the heat felt oppressive (it was probably about 70 out was all), I was dizzy, and my head was killing me.

I finally had to call for Raegan to get the kids and help me to a bathroom, which wasn't too far away, but far enough that I wasn't sure I'd make it. I felt like I was going to be sick. I was just not doing well at all. Talk about taking the fun out of the day!

After another long drink, and sitting for a few minutes, I took the kids back to that shop, since it's a cheap one. I found a hat for only $5 that I could wear to help block the sun from my eyes, and I splurged on t-shirts for all the kids. They were only $7 each, and had a lot of fun designs.

Chris got a Pirate one, with gold coins, a skull, and a flag that reads Mackinac Island. Raegan got a black one with Mackinac written on the front, but split up so the top line says MACK, then the next line says INAC, and the last line says ISLAND. It's black, with huge white letters, and splatter painted with neon colors. For Gilly, they didn't have much. The fun designs were sold out in her size. They had some very toddler oriented designs. Finally, there were 2 shirts that were similar, but in reversed colors. One was pink with gray letters, the other gray with pink letters. She picked the gray shirt.

We got out of there, did some more shopping with me just not feeling real great. By the time I noticed what time it was, it was time for the 4pm ferry. Only, I knew we were too late, so I made plans to be on the 5pm ferry, and we shopped a bit more. I even found myself a CHEAP tie dyed sweatshirt. Remember the pink & green $40 sweatshirt?

Well, I found a rainbow tie dyed sweat shirt with turquoise embroidery that says "Mackinac Island" on the front. It was $15. It's also more true to size- the XL I got on the mainland fit like a Medium, so it's snug. This one is big and baggy, and much more likely to be worn. I grabbed it with only a small amount of hesitation. I don't have a photo of it yet.

I didn't take very many photos downtown, due mostly to feeling so horrible. I think the xanax I had to take didn't help, but mostly, the sun in my eyes, and the heat were the main culprits. I just wasn't able to handle it that day.

We finally got on the ferry to head back to the mainland.

After all that, I had intended to drive up to St. Ignace, get the fish my dad & uncle requested, then get dinner and drive all the way home. However, by the time we got the fish, and I considered how long it would take to get home, and considered how crappy I still felt, I opted to get a cheap hotel room instead.

Thankfully, the rooms in St. Ignace are about half the price of the rooms in Mackinaw City. We got a cheap room, then got dinner. By then, it looked like we were in for a horrible storm. The clouds were pitch black, and it looked like night time out. We kept hearing thunder, but the storm never let loose. It didn't rain at all that night- figures!

And that is how we spent our 4th day on Vacation.